Gators rise to No. 11 in College Football Rankings

The Florida Gators took another step closer to a coveted New Year’s Six bowl bid.

UF moved up two spots to No. 11 in the College Football Playoff rankings. A win Saturday at Florida State would position coach Dan Mullen’s squad for an appearance in either the Peach or Fiesta bowls.

A season after a 4-7 finish and a coaching change, the Gators (8-3) were tuned in Tuesday night.

“It’s something everybody is going to watch,” tailback Lamical Perine said after practice. “Who wouldn’t want to be in a New Year’s Six bowl after going like 4-7 last year? It’s just something we’re striving for just to get back on track and get Florida where it used to be.

“Everybody is going to be looking at that, of course. If they say they’re not looking at it, they’re lying. Yeah, they’re lying.”

Based on the current standings (click here), the Gators likely would face No. 12 Penn State in the Peach Bowl.

The Gators have been projected to face No. 14 Texas Jan. 1 in the Fiesta Bowl or No. 9 UCF or No. 6 Oklahoma Dec. 29 in the Peach Bowl.

West Virginia is another possible bowl opponent. Led by former UF quarterback Will Grier, the Mountaineers are No. 13 and will return to the top 12 with a win this weekend at home against Oklahoma.

The top four in the rankings go to the playoff, and the next highest ranked SEC, Big 12, Big Ten and Pac-12 teams go to Sugar and Rose, leaving four spots for Peach and Fiesta bowl for the other teams among the top 12.

UF’s players are not the only ones excited about the chance to play in a New Year’s Six bowl.

“The bigger the game, the more at stake, the better the team, all of it's a greater challenge,” defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said. “I think all that stuff does is prepare and help you enhance your program moving forward."

First, the Gators have to beat struggling FSU (5-6) for the first time since 2012.

“We just gonna finish out strong,” linebacker David Reese said. “Hopefully the committee picks us and we do what we gotta do to get somewhere ... so excited about that.”